Transcript Birth of the Universe - Department of Geography

The
Atmosphere
http://www.youtube.com/watch
?&v=7ObnEpRccHM
Ancient Atmosphere
Consisted Primarily of
Methane
Ammonia
Water vapor
Hydrogen
This was a reducing environment
– no oxygen
Changing Conditions – 3.5 bya
Complex molecules form – amino acids, proteins
Photosynthesis begins – oxygen is produced
Driving forces behind changes
Ultraviolet radiation
Lightning
Radioactive decay
Atmosphere – A thin layer
Atmospheric Composition
Water Vapor
Amount of water vapor is highly
variable in space and time.
Importance to climate – water
vapor transfers heat from
warmer to colder regions.
Latent heat – heat released or
absorbed when matter changes
state.
Latent
Heat
Layers of the
Atmosphere
Auroras
Meteors
Mount Everest
Troposphere
Lowest layer – 0 to 15 km
Contains 80% of the mass of the
atmosphere.
Layer where weather occurs.
Temperature decreases with
height.
Layers of the
Atmosphere
Stratosphere
Occurs between 15 and 50 km
above the surface.
Contains 18% of the mass of the
atmosphere.
Temperature increases with
height.
Contains ozone (O3) that shields
the surface from ultraviolet (UV)
radiation.
Protection from
solar radiation
The
Greenhouse
Effect
Effect of Carbon Dioxide
Mr. D’Aleo is a Certified Consultant Meteorologist and was elected a Fellow of the
American Meteorological Society
IPCC - Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change
Cycles of Global Warming
Evaporation will increase as the climate warms, which will increase
average global precipitation. Soil moisture is likely to decline in many
regions, and intense rainstorms are likely to become more frequent. Sea
level is likely to rise two feet along most of the U.S. coast.
Image based on data from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
What drives atmospheric
circulation?
Uneven Planet Warming
Arid and Semiarid Climates
Global
Atmospheric
Circulation
Coriolis Effect
Acid Rain
Acid Rain (4.3)
Normal Rain (5.2)
SOx and NOx
sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides
NO
NO2
HNO3 nitric acid
SO2
H2SO4 sulfuric acid